That’s right. Silliness.

When was the last time you did something silly? I don’t mean a foolish mistake. I mean something downright silly, like singing your favorite song into your toothbrush microphone. Or making silly faces at yourself in the mirror.

“A tailor must not go out [on the Sabbath] with his needle pinned to his coat, nor a carpenter with his ruler behind his ear, nor a fuller with his cord behind his ear, nor a weaver with his stopper behind his ear, nor a dyer with his color swatch on his shoulder, nor a money-changer with a coin behind his ear”. - Tractate Shabbos, page 11b

We in the mental health field spend much of our time repairing damage. Repair happens in different ways, through varied interventions, and often through the vehicle of the therapeutic relationship itself.

We human beings have a funny relationship with time. We take it, we bide it, we kill it. We love to spend it; sometimes we complain about having too much of it, but more often we lament its brevity. We serve it, we say we are out it, and we wish to hit it big.

The existence of the soul is a funny thing. We know that we have a soul, we may even feel its presence. But can we tap into its spiritual power? Do we even know what it means to access the raw energy of the soul?

I was going to follow up last week’s post on compassion with a nice, slightly controversial sermon on finding compassion for our enemies. It was going to be amazing.

There is so much hatred in the world. What we need is more compassion.

The Iran deal is by now signed and delivered. But through the time the deal was being negotiated, and later debated in Congress, one thought rang clear in my mind: we are enabling Iran’s bad behavior.

Do you ever get super anxious about a project? Uptight until a particular task is done? Are you nervous or antsy until you reach your goal, and fulfilled and relieved when it is done?

Have you experienced trauma in your life? If you’re reading this, you probably have. Trauma doesn’t need to be something that has happened to you. It can be experiencing something through learning about it.

Anyone who has been to Israel knows that there is more to the Holy Land than shawarma and shakshuka. There’s a certain energy, a spiritual richness infused into every stone, store, and street. It resides among the hills and valleys, and in every taxicab. It’s in the very air.

Scared. Angry. Sad. Grieving. Terrified. Hopeless.

I was joined for breakfast this morning by a nice family from Chicago. Last night, they told me, they were at a restaurant near the Old City when suddenly someone yelled in Hebrew, "Under the tables! Immediately!" Everyone got down under their tables, some turning their tables over to use as shields. Plates of food shattered on the ground. Police and soldiers rushed in to secure the area.

I have the extremely good fortune to be in Israel for the upcoming Succos holiday. I haven't been here in a long time, and I had forgotten what an experience just walking the streets can be.

Do you know those times when your expectations are so overwhelmingly exceeded that you can’t help feeling giddy? The “wow” circuits in your brain keep firing? Your phone camera keeps coming out to try to capture the moment? I had such a moment this evening.

This week marked a milestone in Her Royal Majesty’s queenship. Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, is now the longest-reigning monarch in the country’s history.

Something is missing. Life is moving fast, things are getting done, but something is missing. We do more nowadays, know more about our planet, hear news from across the globe faster than we ever have. But something is missing.

"When you go out to war against your enemies and Hashem your G-d will deliver him into your hands" (Devarim/Deuteronomy 21)

The Buddhist teacher Ajahn Chah once remarked while holding a beautiful teacup, “To me this cup is already broken. Because I know its fate, I can enjoy it fully here and now.”

How can we find Joy?

Where do we look?

Can Joy be bought? If yes, where is it sold?

Is Joy in a lottery ticket? At a Broadway show? At the bottom of a Starbucks cup?